President

ICAN for the past twenty eight years has continued to improve and work through her growing pains.  It has recorded more successes than not.  An elder statesman who visited Dallas during the last Igbo Day marveled by the sheer presence of Igbo sons and daughters from the length and breadth of this great land.  He thought just convening yearly in the name of Igbo Day is a success by itself. However more needs to be done.  Much credit for those improvements/success goes to those at the ICAN leadership, both past and present and the willing members who have supported the programs.  Irrespective of the differences of opinion, style and the like, all of us look out for the best of Igbo Community.  Let no one tell you any different.  

Our home land has been the birthplace of great leaders.  The great leaders of old and today spring from various corners of Igbo land.  We all will always have Igbo and Igbo language as our common heritage; her greatness belongs to all of us.  Every one of us sees Ndi Igbo and its greatness through our personal filters.  Leadership and greatness in ICAN has evolved over time, but one theme remains unchanged, the “Igboness” in us.  Every generation of ICAN leadership have always risen to the occasion with their varied skills, knowledge and abilities to uphold Igbo tradition and perpetuate her greatness in the communities they sojourn as well as for the benefit of the mother land.  This time and place is no different.

I have offered my humble self to serve as your ICAN President to uphold, maintain, continue, and improve on the accomplishments of my predecessors to ensure that this Union would continue to grow for the benefit of all especially for the land of our ancestry. The manifesto herein is a framework to move ICAN to a new high.

To move ICAN forward and assist in moving our beloved home land, to a new high, I propose:

 Improving and developing Igbo Language Curriculum with Igbo language Teachers and in partnership with affiliates where possible.

 Work in consultations with leaders and other stakeholders in ICAN to create a coalition/consortium with other WIC Affiliates in finding lasting solutions to our problems.

 Reevaluate and incorporate valuable existing ideas already in the books such as getting corporate sponsorship (especially from companies doing business in Nigeria) for our Business Banquet and Igbo Day celebrations.

 Use of cost accounting system.  This way we make sure monies raised for each project is earmarked for the project and tracked accordingly.  This gives us credibility among our friends and donors.

 Strengthen ICAN Affiliates by the use of Ad Hoc committee to resolve issues they could not resolve themselves.

 Set up a Youth Committee to handle the affairs of teenagers and youth during our Igbo Day Celebrations.

 Set up an Igbo Professional Network for our young graduates within Dallas/Fort Worth, Area and USA at large.

My brothers and sisters, you and I now have the ultimate and awesome responsibility to shape the future of our great organization within the next two years.  Let us exercise that responsibility with grace and passion.  It is prudent to resist the urge to act in ways that may harm or tarnish the process we have been nurturing.

That being said, this is a road map that understands the complexities of the changing times we find ourselves. We must do our very best to move ICAN forward and uplift the land of our heritage in the process.  

Finally and more importantly, I pray that God will continue to bless each and every one of you and that we will all have a safe 2024. I look forward to the next two years and thanks for allowing me to serve as your president.